Hi John,

Did you get my email last week about meat and dairy? Sorry if you missed it.

Times are really tough right now and the price of food has been skyrocketing. And as someone who used to eat meat and dairy all the time - I’m not trying to lecture you on what you can and can’t eat. But I firmly believe we need urgent action from the government.

Meat and dairy is responsible for 19% of emissions and wastes vast amounts of land to grow animal feed. [1] The amount we produce just doesn't make sense in a climate, nature, food and cost of living crisis. 

I'll tell you more a little further down, but in the meantime, can you quickly demand that the government fix our broken food system and reduce meat and dairy?

Here’s the deal: by reducing meat and dairy we can increase food security and provide healthier, more nutritious diets - regular meat consumption is linked to a wide range of diseases. [2] It will also help tackle the climate crisis, and free up vast amounts of land to restore nature so wildlife can thrive again.

Still not convinced? 85% of total land that produces UK food is used to graze livestock or produce crops to feed to animals. [3] But the meat and dairy produced provides only a fraction of the calories and protein we need in our diets. [4]

It’s also driving up costs for farmers and consumers by contributing to the increased cost of crops that are used for animal feed, which in turn increases food prices. [5]

Tell the UK government to slash meat and dairy 70% by 2030.

I get it, this is a complex issue and we’re not calling for a total ban, but what would 70% less meat and dairy look like for you? Replacing factory farmed meat and dairy with more homegrown vegetables, grains, beans, pulses and plant-based meat alternatives. And mostly switching cow’s milk to alternatives like oat milk. 

It will mean a greater variety of affordable food that comes directly from the UK. And it will help us restore wildlife - the UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. [6]

We can’t do all this by ourselves though. The government must put measures in place that will help farmers transition towards producing food more sustainably for the long term.

Will you urge the government to act now?

Thanks for your time and your support. Talking about what we eat is always going to be an emotive issue, especially right now whilst a lot of people are struggling. We need to work together to create a better, fairer food system for everyone in the UK.

Jack Bullett

Greenpeace UK

[1] 7 reasons why meat is bad for the environment

[2] Regular meat consumption linked with a wide range of common diseases

[3] National Food Strategy - The Plan

[4] Avoiding meat and dairy is ‘single biggest way’ to reduce your impact on Earth

[5] How the invasion of Ukraine broke the world’s fragile food system – and how we can fix it

[6] UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world

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